Deep-well turbine leakproof and sandproof upper main bearing



March-21, 1933. A. R was 1,902,431

DEEP WELL TURBINE LEAKPROOF AND SANDPROOF UPPER MAIN BEARING Original Filed April 25, 1928 .4 7- 7-0 eA/Ex Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNiTED STATES lParENT oFF-lcs ARTHUR R. WEIS, OF HUNTINGTON PARK,

PACIFIC PUMP WORKS, OF HUNTINGTON v CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-FOURTH. T'O'G-EORGE`E. BIGELOW, OF HUNTINGTON PARK,

CALIFORNIA cALrFonNIA, AssIefNon or `crm-HALF 'ro y PAB/K, CALIFORNIA, A. CORPORATION OF DEEP-WELL TURBINE LEAIKIPROOF AN D SANTDIEROOE` 'UPPER MAIN BEARING' Application led April 23, 1928, Serial No. 272,097. Renewed July 5, 1932.

My invention relates to the deep-wellturbinepumping art, and more particularly to a construction for eliminating wear on a bearing thereof which may be caused by sand or other foreign particles carried by the wellfluid, this invention being an improvement over the device shown in my co-pending application filed December 27, 1927, Serial No. 242,907.

The well-known type of deep-well turbine pump includesa pump section disposed below the liquid level of the well, this .pump section being supported by a discharge pipe extending upward to a pump head located at the top'of the well. The pump section has one or more impeilers therein, these impellers being secured to a line shaft which extends downward discharge pipe. This line shaft is j ournalled at frequent intervals throughout its length in bearings supported by a shaft tubing. p

This line shaft is journalled in an upper main bearing just above the uppermost impeller of the pump section. This bearing is of necessity located ina zone of high fluid pressure for the reason that thel well-fluid is pumped directly Y pressure to raise this fluid throughout the entire length of the discharge pipe.

The well-fluid ordinarily carries a considerable quantity of abrasive matter, such as sand, which, if it enters the main bearing, quicky destroys it. Much difficulty is exper'- ienced in keeping these abrasive particles out of the main bearing of the pump section. Y

t is an object of my invention to provide a pump structure in which the upper main bearing of the pump section is protected from abrasive matter carried by the iuid being pumped.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method of reducing the flow of afluid between a stationary and a rotatable member.

There is ordinarily alarge rdifference inV ressure between the lower end of this bearing and the upper end thereof, this upper en being in communication with the interior of the shaft tubing. This dierence in pressure tends to cause an upward flow of well-fluid through the Vmain bearing. This iow is or,-

from the pump head through the therearound at a sufiicient dinarily checked by a stufng box which has Y a by-passed portion in communication with the exterior of the pump to age which occurs through the lower'portion of the packing in the stuffing box to reach the exterior Vof the pump. This packing quickly wears away in the presence `of any abrasive particles, due to the journalling action which takes place between the yp acking and the shaft. Y Y

This wearing action quickly causes a large leakage whichV materially reduces 1 the leii ciency of the pump,

stallations where the leakage oftentimes becomes a large proportion of thecapacity of the pump.l l

Furthermore, there is always av tendency for well-fluid to flow from the discharge pasallow anyleak# v, Y

especially on small inf sage of eachpump section'into the impeller f chamber of that section, this short-circuiting flow takingplace around the periphery ofthe shaft and thus wearing any bearing surface which'may be between-the pump bowl andthe shaft. Various methods have been devised for eliminating or VdecreasingV this short-circuiting iiow, but I have found .by properly directing this flow adjacentV the opening which communicates withthe upper bearing, that this short-circuiting flow creases the pressure on the lower. end kof the main bearing, thus decreasing any tendency for the well-fluid to flow therethrough.V

It is rthus an object of my invention' to provide a small short-circuiting. flow of well fluid from the discharge passage of apump section into the impeller chamber thereof, thisflow passing adjacent vthe lower end of the main bearing,ror adjacent an'opening communicating directly ory indirectly'` with this bearing. l 'y i f I prefer to place a packing below the main bearing, this packing having a lantern pro-` viding a space which is by-passed to the eX-.

terior of the pump, so that shouldV any leakageoccur through the lower portion of the packing, this leakage will pass outward ind stead of upward in a manner to reach the main bearing. 4

It is a further Vobject of my invention to provide a packing below the main bearing of a turbine pump, one end of this packing beico ing in communication with a short-circuiting flow of well-fluid and the other end of this packing being by-passed to the exterior of the pump.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawing, in which I illustrate one form of my invention,

"Fig 1 is a utility View.

Fig. 2 is a medial sectional view illustrating the details of my invention.

Fig. 3 .is a cross-sectional the linel 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, I illustrate a well 10 in which a well casing 11 has been set. Extending downward inside the well casing is a discharge pipe 12, this pipe being supported at the surface of the ground by a. suitable pump head 13. This discharge pipe is adapted to carry a fluid forced up# ward Vtherethrough by a pump unit 15 attached to the discharge pipe at its lower end, 'which pump unit isV composed of pump sections 16 andan upper bearing structure 17. The well-Huid rising through the discharge pipe is directed from the pump head by a pipe 18. p

- Each pump section 1 6 has a body 20 1n which an impeller chamber 21 is formed. An impeller 21EL is positioned in eachimpeller chamber 21, these impellers being secured to n a line shaft 22 by any suitable means such as Vby Akeys 23, illustrated in Fig. 2. The shaft 22 extends upward through the column pipe and is adapted to be rotated by a motor 24 situated in the pumphead'13. Each pump section 16 provides a discharge chamber 26 which converges upwardl to carry well-fluid from `one impeller chamber 21 to the adjacent Vimpeller chamber. 1When this 'fluid reaches the uppermost pump section 16 it is discharged into discharge passages 29 formed through the upper bearing structure 17, from w ence it is conducted into the interior of i h Y communicates with the annular passage the discharge pipe 12. l Y

lThe upperbearing structure 17 and the body 20 of the uppermost pump section 16 cooperate to form a supporting structure for my invention. Il have illustrated the upper bearing structure 17 and theuppermost body 2O1as being threadedly secured together, as indicated at 30, but it should be understood that flanges or other attaching means might be substitutedfor this particular construe# tion without departing from the spirit of my invention. y,

The upper bearing structure 17 has a bearing chamber 31 formed therein in which a bearing'sleeve 32 is situated. This ybearing sleeve journalsthe shaft 22 and has a hub portion 33 extending outward therefrom and fitting into a counterbored portion 34 ofthe bearing chamber 31. This' counterbored portion is vthreaded so as to receive the lower view taken on i below the bearing sleeve 32,

vtion 34 until this tubing contacts the hub portion 33 of the i bearing sleeve 32, thus firmly clamping this bearing sleeve in place.

' The lower end of the bearing chamber 31 is defined by a shoulder 40 having a hole 41 through which the shaft 22 passes, there being an annular passage'43 between the outer periphery of thel shaft 22 and the sides of this hole. This annular passage 43 communi cates with the lower end of the bearing chamber 31, and I prefer to place upper and lower packing members 45 and 46 in this lower portion of 'the bearing chamber which lies members Vhaving surfaces in contact with the peripheral surfacev of theV shaft. These packingmembers areseparatedby a lantern 47, this lantern providing a space 47L between theperiphery of the sha-ft andthe interior ofthe bearing chamber 31. The space 47a is bypassed to the exterior of the upper bearing structure 17 by means of openings-48 which are formed through webs 49 extending across the discharge passages 29.

The body 20 provides a bore 50 which is vslightly larger in diameter than the shaft 22, thus providing a longitudinal leakage pas .sage 51 therebetween. This leakage passage is, however, quite small, being in the neighborhood of five of ten thousandths of an inch in width and extending completely around the shaft 22. The longitudinal leakage passage 51` communicates with the impeller chamber 21,. and with a radial leakage passage 53'which is formed between 'the lower edge of the shoulder 40 and the upper edge of a rcylindrical projection 2Oa of the body 20. This longitudinal leakage passage 51 also size than either the radial leakage passage i 53 or the longitudinal leakage passage 51.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the motor 24 is energized, andthe shaft 22 rotated, the impellers 21a are rotatec A thus drawing fluid from the lower end of the well through a strainer 55. This well-fluid passes upward through each of the pump secti0ns16, each of the impellers therein im-v parting to thisvfluid a higher velocity vand pressure head as the iuid f passes therethese packing D Vby large arrows 56 in t pass through through. Thum-when this well-fluid reaches the uppermost pump section 16, the fluid therein is already at a highl pressure. The impeller in this upper section forces the well'- liuid outward into the The main body of this well-fluid'passes through the discharge chamber as indicated Fig. 2, thus reaching the discharge passages 29 and travelling upward therethrough, reaching the top of the well through the annular space between the shaft tubing 35 and the discharge pipe 12.

As this well-fluid leaves the impeller, its energy is mainly in the form of velocity, but during. the time that` it passes .upward through the discharge chamber, this velocity energy is transformed into pressure energy. Thus, the pressure of this well-fluid will be greater adjacent the radial leakage passage 53 than it was at the instant .of leaving the impeller. AThis fact, together `with the fact that as the impeller rotates any fluid inthe upper portion of the impeller chamber is thrown outward due to centrifugal force, acts to cause a difference in pressure between the upper end of the impeller chamber 21 and the discharge chamber 26 adjacent the radial leakage passage 53. This difference kin :pressure causes a short-circuiting flow of well-fluid in a direction indicatedby small arrows 58 of Fig. 2. `This fluid enters the radial leakage passage 53, and passes downward through the longitudinal leakage passage 51, thus reaching the Vimpeller chamber 21 after which it is again discharged out ward into the main body 'of well-'fluid passing from the impellers. ing flow thus passes adjacent they annular passage tacting surfaces of the packing members and thev shaft. l l

This well-fluid often carries sand or other abrasive particles. The radial leakage passage 53 acts to screen the larger particles of abrasive matter to keep these particles from entering this passage. rlhe smaller abrasive particles may enter this passage. and are carried downward by through the longitudinal leakage passage 51, being again discharged into the main stream of well-fluid as previously described. Due to the fact that the radial leakage passage 53 is smaller than the longitudinal leakage passage 51, any abrasive particles which may A the former passage will easily be transmitted through the latter passage. There will thus be no wearing action between the shaft 22 and the bore 50.

Furthermore, as this short-circuiting flow passes adjacent the mouth of the annular passage 43, the pressure against this annular passage is materially lowered,rdue to the high velocity head and low pressure head of the fluid passing through this short-circuiting path. If the longitudinal leakage passage 51 discharge chamber 26.-

This short-circuit- 43 and is communicable with the conthe flow of well-fluid closed, a relatively, high pressure would be built up :in-the annular passage 43, and this kpressure would tend to force well-fluid and its associated abrasive were to be entirely particles upward between the shaft 22 and the 'l packing 46 due to the fact that thevpressure on theannular passage 43would be greater than the pressure abovethe packing members.

The reduction in pressure, due to the high velocity head as the fluid passes through this short-circuiting path, reduces'the pressure in this annularpassage 43, thus reducingv any tendency for well-fluid to flow through the packing Vmember 46. p Evenshould'any slight amount of fluid pass therethrough after the packing has `become worn through long use, this slight amount of fluid will be discharged through theopenings 48 and into the space surrounding ythe upper main bearingfstructure 17 before reaching thefbearing sleeve132.

VIt is important to myinvention: that the lshoulder 40 andthe upper end oftliebody 20 are stationary relative tov eachother. the radial leakage passage 53 is formed of two stationary `members, and there is no tendency for wear therebetween.v vThe particular construction shown Ais extremely eflicient, and easily assembledfNo eXtra Thus,

sleeves: or other structure is needed; and the cost of a pump such as is Villustrated in Fig. l2 is'very reasonable.' L Y Y The invention is not limited to use on the particular bearingshown, butv may be used in conjunction with similar bearings in different positions or on other designs of bear- 1n s. saigily mean'metal bearings,bu'tl refer to any device surrounding a member which is rotatable relative thereto.

Certain features ofthe present invention aire shown andA claimed in `my co-pending applicationV filed December 27 1927, Serial No. 242,907, entitled 4ilVlain bearing constructionv for turbine pump.l i

il claim as my'invention:

1. In a deep-well turbine pump, the'com- Vbination of: a supporting structure havinga discharge chamber, and a bearingv chamber" therein; a lbearing in said bearing chamber;-

and a shaft journalledin said bearing and passing through a bore in said supporting structure, there being a longitudina'l leakage passage between said shaft vandthe wallsof Vsaid bore, said longitudinal leakagev passage being communicable with said bearing chamber, said supporting structure also providing a radial leakage V passage opening von said longitudinal leakage passage and on said dis'- charge chamber, said radial leakage passage being narrower., than said longitudinal leakage passage. Y

2.V Ina deep-well turbinepump, the combination of: a body yhavingl an impeller chamber anda discharge chamber; ashaft extending through abore, of saidbody, there being Bythe term bea'ring7 l do not neces-l v a longitudinal leakage'passage between'said shaft and the walls of said bore, saidlongitudinal leakage passage communicatingv with said impeller chamber; an impeller adapted to force a fiuid through said discharge chamber; and means forming a radial leakage passage communicating with said discharge chamber and opening on said longitudinal passage, said radial leakage passage being narrower than said longitudinal passage.

3. In a deep-well turbine pump, the combination of: a body, there being an impeller chamber,a discharge chamber and a bore formed therein, saidl bore communicating with said impeller chamber; a bearing struc'- ture secured to said body and having a bean ing chamber therein; a shoulder on said bearing structure defining the lower end ofv said bearing chamber and extending adjacent a portion of said body in a mannerl to form a radial leakage passage therebetween, said shoulder having a hole therethrough; a shaft extending Vthrough said bore and said hole and into said impeller `and bearing chambers, said shaft cooperating'with the walls of said hole tol define an annular passage communieating with said bearing chamber and with a longitudinal leakage passage, said longitudinal leakage passage communicating with said impeller chamber, said radial leakage passage opening on said longitudinal leakage passage; and abearing in said bearing chamber and journalling said shaft.

4. In a deep-well turbine pump, the combination of: a body, there being an impeller chamber, a discharge chamberand a bore formed therein, said bore .communicating with said impeller chamber; a bearing' structure secured to said body and having a bearv mg chamber therein; a shoulder on said bearing structure defining the lower endrof said bearing chamber and extending adjacent a portion of said body in a manner to form a radial leakage passage therebetween, said shoulder having a hole therethrough; a shaft extending through said bore and said hole and into said impeller and bearing chambers, said shaft cooperating wit-h the walls of said hole to define an annular passage co1nmuni cating with said bearing chamber andwith a longitudinal leakage passage, said longitudinal leakage passage communicatingwith said impeller chamber, said radial leakage passage opening on lsaid longitudinal leakage passage; a bearing in the upperl end of said bearing chamber and adapted to journal said shaft; andra packing means, compressed in said bearing chamber betweenvsaid bearing and said shoulder.

5. In a deep-well turbine pump, the combination of: a body having an impeller chamber, a discharge chamber and a bore therein, said bore communicating with said impeller chamber; a bearing structure secured tosaid o body and having a bearing chamber therein;

`sage between a shoulder on 'said bearing kstructure defining `the lower end of said bearing chamber; a

shaft extending through said bore and said bearing chamber, there being an annular passaid shaft and the sides of a hole through said shoulder, and a longitudinal leakage passage between said shaft and the sides of said bore, said longitudinal leakage passage communicating with said discharge chamber through a radial leakage pas` sage formed between said body and said shoulder, vsaid radial leakage passage having a smaller fluid carrying capacity than said longitudinal leakage passage; and a bearing in said beari g chamber journalling said shaft.

6. yIn a deep-well turbine pump, the combination of: a body having an impeller chamber, a discharge chamber and a bore therein, said bore communicating withsaid impeller chamber; a bearing structure secured to said bodyV and having a bearing chamber therein; a shoulder on said bearing structure defining the lower end of said bearing chamber; a shaft extending through said bore and said bearing chamber, there being an annular passage between said shaft and the sides of a hole through said shoulder, and a longitudinal leakage passagev between said shaft and the sides of said bore, said longitudinal leakage passage communicating with said discharge chamber through a radial leakage passage formed between said body and said shoulder, sa-id radial. leakage passage having a smaller fluid carrying capacity than said longitudinal leakage passagev and a larger fluid carr ing capacity than said annular passage; and a bearing in said bearing chamber journalling said shaft.-

In testimony whereof,I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 11th day of April, 1928.

ARTHUR RWEIS.' 

